Then, he sent his brother, Duan Lan, and Murong Han to attack Liucheng (柳城; southwest of present-day Chaoyang, Liaoning).
[6] In June 336, Duan Liao’s general Li Yong (李詠) attempted to surprise attack Murong Huang but was captured instead.
Disgruntled, Duan Liao personally commanded an attack on Liucheng, but was routed in an ambush set up by Feng Yi at Mount Madou (馬兜山), where his general, Rong Bobao (榮伯保) was killed in battle.
The following month, Duan Liao delivered grain carts to supply Yilian to relief a famine, but they were captured by Huang's general Lan Bo (蘭勃).
In 337, Murong Huang, now the Prince of Former Yan, declared himself a vassal of Zhao and call for a joint campaign against the Duan tribe.
Zhao's ruler, Shi Hu, was delighted by his submission, and secretly fixed a date with him to hold their campaign.
Duan Lan led the entire army out to face Huang, but they were ambushed and was met with heavy casualty.
Shi Hu camped at Jintai (金台; in present-day Gu'an County, Hebei) while Zhi Xiong made a long march to Ji.
Zhi Xiong captured forty cities and received surrenders from Duan officials in Yuyang, Shanggu and Dai Commandery along the way.
Before parting ways, Duan Liao expressed his regret to Murong Han over not following his advice earlier.
While Duan Liao left for Mount Miyun, Murong Han fled to the Yuwen tribe up north.
[11] Duan Liao's chief clerks, most notably Liu Qun, Lu Shen, and Cui Yue (崔悅), all surrendered and offered their services to Zhao.
While there, Shi Hu turned on Murong Huang and attacked him at Jicheng (棘城, in modern Jinzhou, Liaoning), albeit with little success.
The Xianbei allies defeated Ma Qiu at Sanzangkou (三藏口, in present-day Chengde, Hebei), killing many of the Zhao soldiers in the process and capturing Yang Yu.